When it comes to choosing battle strategies, military tacticians often have a wide range of options. One strategy that has been deployed in the battlefield countless times is maneuver warfare. Evidence of its use can be drawn from the wars that General Napoleon Bonaparte fought to modern conflicts. It is a strategy that chiefly relies on incapacitating an opposing force by impacting its ability to make key decisions. It is more of a shock and awe strategy.
It is no secret that warfare is primarily based on movement and kill rate. Each side attempts to occupy more territory and kill more enemies with each wave of its attack. Throughout its deployment in conflicts, it had proven most effective when adopted by scattered units that are properly trained. Small units have always been effective when adopting the technique due to the fact that they have a lesser risk of attrition that full standing armies. Small units attacking from various directions also hold the all important element of surprise.
In most battles, success is usually gauged by the number of enemy equipment destroyed, territory occupied and combatants killed. Attrition battles portray a general lack of creativity from both opposing groups. A shock and awe attack, on the other hand, often causes the party being attacked to panic and make a retreat. This way, the attacking force gets sufficient latitude to reoccupy seized ground and attain its primary objectives.
One of the greatest generals to ever deploy the aforementioned strategy to great effect was Napoleon. In fact, he managed to defeat armies that were larger than his using it. His approach involved the use of quick cavalry charges against enemy combatants, shocking them and disabling their movement in the process.
This is an aspect that was well manifested in the France versus Austria war in Northern Italy. Despite the numerical superiority of the Austrian forces, the French overwhelmed them and gave them little chance to reorganize. This victory served as a benchmark for other generals in future battles.
At the turn of the mid 19th century, movement became heavily mechanized, thereby complicating matters for armies that relied on this strategy. Almost every army had the ability to launch rapid attacks. To counter this development, an additional plan was included to maneuver attacks. Troops would quickly encircle their adversaries and obliterate their strong points, leaving them incapacitated in the process.
The massive success of the Germans during the early stages of WW2 can also be linked to the technique. At the time, battle involved the heavy usage of tanks. German armored divisions, commanded by Erwin Rommel, would launch quick attacks against allied troop formations. The tactic was latter billed the Lightning or Blitzkrieg Attack.
Maneuvering also has its limitations. For instance, it is not effective without prior intelligence on enemy formations. This became apparent in the Lebanon War in 2006. By the end of the war, the Israelis had not met their objective of decimating the Hezbollah command.
It is no secret that warfare is primarily based on movement and kill rate. Each side attempts to occupy more territory and kill more enemies with each wave of its attack. Throughout its deployment in conflicts, it had proven most effective when adopted by scattered units that are properly trained. Small units have always been effective when adopting the technique due to the fact that they have a lesser risk of attrition that full standing armies. Small units attacking from various directions also hold the all important element of surprise.
In most battles, success is usually gauged by the number of enemy equipment destroyed, territory occupied and combatants killed. Attrition battles portray a general lack of creativity from both opposing groups. A shock and awe attack, on the other hand, often causes the party being attacked to panic and make a retreat. This way, the attacking force gets sufficient latitude to reoccupy seized ground and attain its primary objectives.
One of the greatest generals to ever deploy the aforementioned strategy to great effect was Napoleon. In fact, he managed to defeat armies that were larger than his using it. His approach involved the use of quick cavalry charges against enemy combatants, shocking them and disabling their movement in the process.
This is an aspect that was well manifested in the France versus Austria war in Northern Italy. Despite the numerical superiority of the Austrian forces, the French overwhelmed them and gave them little chance to reorganize. This victory served as a benchmark for other generals in future battles.
At the turn of the mid 19th century, movement became heavily mechanized, thereby complicating matters for armies that relied on this strategy. Almost every army had the ability to launch rapid attacks. To counter this development, an additional plan was included to maneuver attacks. Troops would quickly encircle their adversaries and obliterate their strong points, leaving them incapacitated in the process.
The massive success of the Germans during the early stages of WW2 can also be linked to the technique. At the time, battle involved the heavy usage of tanks. German armored divisions, commanded by Erwin Rommel, would launch quick attacks against allied troop formations. The tactic was latter billed the Lightning or Blitzkrieg Attack.
Maneuvering also has its limitations. For instance, it is not effective without prior intelligence on enemy formations. This became apparent in the Lebanon War in 2006. By the end of the war, the Israelis had not met their objective of decimating the Hezbollah command.
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